Harry Potter and the Traveler
by MartinDC
Summary: Voldemort decided to vanquish Harry instead of killing him in the forest. In doing so set Harry on the path to an adventure of the ages. Not your usual time-travel fiction. Watch Harry grow and learn and become a legend as he travels home.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I simply enjoy putting it in the blender, turning it on and seeing what comes out later.

AN: Left Field calls again, and I find myself wondering why I even bother trying to ignore it. This is another time travel fic, but with as many twists and turns as I can throw at the computer. I will warn you, this isn't your typical time travel fiction, it will quickly take a right turn into the unknown and the unwritten.

-DCM-

"Does it hurt? Dying that is…" Harry looked at the spectral image of his long lost godfather.

"It's like walking from one room into the next." The love in Sirius' voice was evident, as was the love that shown in Harry's mother's and father's eyes.

"You'll stay with me? Till the end?"

"Always son." Harry's father said with love, conviction and compassion.

Harry nodded, and let his hands drop to his sides. With one last long look at his mother's beautiful green eyes, he dropped the stone onto the forest floor. The images of his parents and godfather slowly faded away.

"I'll see you soon mum and dad…"

"_Incarcerous._" Harry felt the spell wrap around him, holding him from moving.

"We can't have you leaving such a valuable stone on the forest floor, love." Harry didn't recognize the voice, but could tell it was female, and was close. He felt the woman walk up beside him and out of the corner of his eye saw her crouch down and pick up the resurrection stone. She then surprised him by picking up the stone and slipping it into his pocket. "You have the cloak, yes?"

Harry couldn't move his head, so stuttered out "Y..Yes.."

"Good" at this, the speaker walked in front of Harry and looked him in the eyes. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the woman in front of him. She was, for a lack of better word, stunning. She had midnight black hair, and smooth white skin. She had ruby red lips that begged to be kissed, and Harry could see the tips of four very sharp teeth amongst her other shiny white teeth. But the most captivating feature Harry could see where her eyes. She had piercing cobalt blue eyes that seemed to stare deep into Harry. He felt drawn to them, lost in them.

She held up an ornate gold ring for him to see. "This is the Potter family ring. The next time you are alone, twist the jewel like this." She showed Harry the ring and twisted the jewel clockwise. "Inside is a multi-compartment trunk. In the first compartment is a book. Open the trunk with your father's password, and get it. Then open the second compartment. Inside is a small room. Enter the room while closing the lid, and read the book. It will tell you exactly what is going on. Okay?"

"Ugh…o…okay?"

The beautiful woman laughed a soft laugh and reached up and put her hand on Harry's cheek in a familiar way. "Fear not young traveler, you are headed on an amazing adventure." She then leaned in and kissed Harry on the side of his mouth. Harry caught the scent of cinnamon and vanilla as he felt her soft lips pressed gently onto his. His mind went blank as he reveled in the sensations he felt.

"Try not to break him Aria." Harry heard another voice coming from behind him.

The woman, Aria, smiled a slow sweet smile and looked at Harry with heavy, hooded eyes. She then reached out and put the Potter ring onto his right ring finger. He felt it resize and settle onto his finger.

"Don't forget to will it invisible handsome." She leaned in close to Harry's ear and whispered "Remember to look beyond appearances. Always judge by someone's heart, not their skin." With another brief kiss on the cheek, she was gone.

Seconds after she left Harry's sight, another woman moved to where Harry could see her. Harry had thought no one could be as beautiful as the first woman, but he was wrong. This woman was equally beautiful, equally exotic, and was also staring at Harry. She had blonde hair that was so pale, it was almost white with a few streaks of yellow. Her eyes were large, almond shaped and tilted upwards slightly more than was usual. Harry noticed her ears, which were slightly larger than normal and pointed. _'High Elf'_ flashed through his stunned mind.

She too leaned in and kissed Harry on the side of his mouth, but on the opposite side of Aria. Harry closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the soft press of her lips on his and wondered briefly if he had died already and was in heaven. He caught the sweet scent of the forest, earthy and fresh, mixed with the indescribable smell of rain while she slowly pulled back. She placed one hand on the center of Harry's chest. "Follow your heart traveler, and it will lead you home." She smiled a small sad smile at him. "Now go face your destiny, we'll see you on the other side." Then she too walked away.

After a moment Harry felt the spell lift off of him and he slowly turned around, looking for the two women. There wasn't any sign of them and for a brief moment he wondered if he had imagined the whole thing. It was the feel of the Potter ring on his hand that told him he hadn't imagined it. He willed the ring invisible, and moved to meet Voldemort and his destiny, the whole while pondering women in general, and two in specific.

-DCM-

"How did it go?" The man was covered from head to toe in a deep black cloak made of leather. There was a pommel of a sword over his right shoulder, and he held himself at ease while staring out over the grounds of Hogwarts. He knew there would soon be a battle. One where much blood was spilt.

"I think Aria broke him." The elf spoke with as she came to stand next to the man in black.

"If I didn't then Talia definitely did." There was laughter in Aria's voice as she came to stand on the other side of the man.

The man chuckled and looked lost in thought for a few moments. "He'll be fine. It may take him a few years, but it will work itself out."

-DCM-

"I thought he would come." Voldemort almost sounded disappointed and confused.

"I did." Harry's voice rang across the clearing, surprising more than a few death eaters.

Voldemort tilted his head to the side, and silently considered the boy that stood before him and his minions. "Harry Potter."

"Hello Tom." Harry stared back at his nemesis unflinching and brave. Voldemort briefly wished Harry would switch sides. Such power and conviction in the young man standing before him.

"Have you come to die?"

Harry merely shrugged his shoulders and kept looking at Voldemort. Damn Gryffindors and their courage.

Voldemort raised his wand at Harry while looking at him intently. Harry stood his ground, determined to face his death with as much courage as he could. It wasn't until the spell was almost on him that it registered that it was red, and not the killing curse green he had been expecting.

Harry woke shortly afterward. He was laying on the ground in the middle of a pentagram and the death eaters were chanting in a language Harry didn't recognize.

"I'm not going to kill you Harry. I'm going to vanquish you." Harry blinked in surprise at the choice of words that Voldemort had used. His surprise did not go unnoticed. "Yes Harry, I know the prophecy. Severus willingly gave it to me, and then helped me find this little ritual that will help me finally be rid of you. You see, if I don't kill you, but merely vanquish you, then you can't kill me, and I will be even more invincible. Don't think I don't know what you have done to my horcruxes. This way, with my remaining horcrux, and you safely tucked away, nothing will be able to touch me." The voices in the back ground were reaching a fevered pitch.

"Good bye Harry Potter." Voldemort put the tip of his wand to Harry's forehead and muttered '_debellandum inimicos meos' _and Harry's world exploded into a multitude of lights and colors before slowly fading to black.

-DCM-

Consciousness came slowly to Harry. He could feel the sun on his face, and there was a gentle breeze blowing. He slowly opened his eyes and could see that he was laying on his back staring up at the trees overhead. The sounds of the forest around him were muffled and distorted. He closed his eyes again, and tried to remember what had happened.

Voldemort! Harry sat up in a panic and looked around. There was no sign of Voldemort and his death eaters. Harry looked around him, trying to find his wand. He searched his pockets, but couldn't find it anywhere, it was gone. Harry got to his feet and looked around. Off in the distance he could hear a voice shouting something indistinguishable. Making up his mind, he hurried in that direction, expecting to come upon a battle being fought on the grounds of Hogwarts.

When he got to the edge of the forest, he slowed and hid behind a tree. Carefully he took a quick look out at the grounds of the castle. What he saw shocked him more than he thought possible.

Out on the castle grounds were dozens of humans and goblins, and several dwarves, but they weren't fighting. Harry felt his breath catch in his chest when he realized what they were doing. They were building a castle. They were building Hogwarts.


End file.
